How I Stay Sane…

…at home with four kids, ages 6 and under. Because everybody I run into asks me how I do it. (Not sure if that is really a good thing or not…hmm)

• Knit – because when the house is in shambles and I’m stressed, all I have to do to feel in control and capable of creating beauty, is pick up the sticks and string. If I focus hard enough on the yarn, the toys on the floor aren’t as visible.
• Listen - my Ipod coupled with Librivox is my best friend. I spend an average of 1.5 hours a day washing dishes; this doesn’t include time spend baking, cooking, doing laundry or any other household task that involves repetitive, somewhat boring activity. Using that time to listen to all the books I don’t have time to read makes it more fun and less drudgery.
• Read - escapist literature exists for a reason. While I prefer to fill my ears with classics, when I can eke out a few minutes to read, I generally turn to fluff. Nora Roberts, the Twilight books…you get the drift. It’s sort of like sneaking candy, but without the calories. And when you’ve spent the morning doing laundry and changing diapers, a little escapism can be a fabulous mood booster.
• Create – without the ability to create, I would be insane. Creativity is what transforms the simple, sometimes mundane tasks of living into a chance to utilize your mind, intuition and sensibilities. Exercised regularly, it grows stronger and keeps you centered and in touch with who you really are and what you really love.
• Limit - if the chores aren’t done by the time the kids are in bed, they can wait until tomorrow. A little “me” time, followed by some couple time, is a far more worthy use of those precious two or three hours at the end of a day.
• Caffeinate - D’oh.

Donate 38 Contest!

Spring is here, and it’s time to sift through our stuff, letting go of the excess. A lot of it is easy to let go of; stuff that is broken, stuff that is worn out, stuff that we don’t like.

But what about the rest? The stuff that is “perfectly good” and “you might need it someday” — but in the meantime, it’s taking up space in your home and your mind. With the uncertainty and financial hardships that are so prevalent now, it becomes even more tempting to hoard what we have. But the reality is that there is also an increased need for us to give.

So I’ve come up with a little contest — if you participate, I’ll enter your name into a random drawing for a little bit of handmade yumminess by yours truly.

• Between March 26th, 2009 and April 26, 2009 — choose 38 items to donate to the charity (or charities) of your choice. (Why 38? Because it rhymes with donate. And because it’s a large enough number to push us out of our comfort zone, but is small enough to be attainable.)
• Leave a comment here on this blog post listing What you donated, Who you gave it to, and When you dropped it off. Include a way for me to contact you if you win. (email, ravelry name, blog link, etc.)
• Paired items count as one (ie, a pair of shoes is one) but a set of items that can be used individually (say a set of 4 glasses) can be counted individually.
• They need to be “good” stuff. (Jeans that are about to pop at the knees don’t count. The new ones that have been in your closet for a year, unworn, while you wish you could drop a few pounds, do. In other words, donate the items that you’d like to receive yourself.)
• Handmade counts, if you’re using something you already have (say, stash yarn) to make something “good” (like hats, preemie blankets, or kitty cuddles) to donate.
• Your time counts. Even if you’re unable to donate an actual item, consider giving an hour of your time.

Please spread the word! Let’s see how many of us can participate. I look forward to being amazed by you!

…in which I surprise myself.

I made this,
For less than a dollar,
In less than 10 minutes,
To organize my circular needles…
…and I did it myyyyyy waaaaaaaaaaaay.

A Pretty Pantry, and Brownies.

The simple ideas are the best, aren’t they? This project combines my favorite things – recycling, repurposing, shiny glass, bright colors, saving money, a sense of order…and easily accessible brownie-baking ingredients.

If while grocery shopping I have a choice between an item in plastic or an item in glass, I try and buy the glass. Even if it costs me a few more cents, I’m gaining a storage container out of it. I have yet to meet a glass jar that can’t be thoroughly cleaned and repurposed when empty. Soaking them in hot soapy water is usually all that’s needed to remove the labels but if there’s a sticky residue, try rubbing a couple drops of Lemon Essential Oil over it, then washing again — it’s amazing how quickly the jar cleans up.

After it’s clean, use it for plastic-free leftover storage, organizing craft supplies, or containing small items in the bathroom. If you use yours in the pantry, you’ll probably wants labels — sharpies work great but lack the pretty factor. I loved these links to free printable labels and recipe cards from my friends over at the Frugal Not Frumpy blog. Use a simple gluestick to attach them to the jar, and they’ll remove easily with a soak and scrub if you repurpose the jar later.

Oh, and when you’re done organizing the pantry, bake these. And bring me some.

Bethany’s Bestest Brownies

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Blend the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Add eggs, beat well with a wooden spoon. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt, then gradually add it to the egg mixture. Spread in a greased 8×8 square baking pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes, just until the brownie begins to pull away from the edges of the pan. You want them to still be moist and chewy. Cool, then frost with:

Yummy Brownie Frosting

• 3 tbsp softened butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tbsp honey or corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 to 2 tbsps milk.

Cream butter, cocoa, honey and vanilla. Add icing sugar and milk, and beat to a smooth and spreadable consistency. Apply liberally to brownies, then lick the spoon.

Really Look

When I preparing for the birth of my first child, I remember reading about having a “Focal Point” — the suggestion was to bring a picture or vase of flowers, something inspirational to focus on as a pain-coping technique.

I’m sure it would have worked wonderfully if my eyes were open. As it was, it turned out I coped best by ignoring everyone and everything in the room.

I have, however, found that having a focal point is a wonderful coping technique for THOSE days…you know, the days when it’s 9:30am and you’ve already had two toddlers in a half-hour meltdown each, couldn’t find your keys, had to scrounge up a lunch for your school-age child because you don’t want to take aforementioned toddlers grocery shopping, and subsequently skipped your own breakfast. You then caved to temptation, went through the drivethru for coffee and a muffin, and had one of the toddlers start puking while you ordered.

Yeah, THOSE days.

The days when you wonder how on earth mothers have survived for so many years. How your own mother survived. And why aren’t we paid more?

What I’m learning is that on days when it’s all falling apart around me, and it seems chaos might just win for the day — it helps to have a focal point. Something beautiful, simple, fresh — something that reminds me I am capable. I am skilled. I can and will survive this.

Sometimes it’s a recently completed knitting project. Other times, a really great picture one of my kids drew. Or, it can be as simple as this — freshly baked bread on an old vintage plate, the softly golden crust of the bread set off by the old blue-and-white of the plate. The textured crust against the smooth, aged finish.

Inspiring, in a very simple and tangible way…nice, isn’t it? Enjoy. I’m going to go clean puke off the carseat. And maybe ask for a raise.

Editing to add the link for Amish White Bread — it’s a moist, sweet bread. I made one loaf and did an 8×8 pan of rolls instead of a second loaf. Kids loved it.

Hibernating In Style

If I look out my window, I see white, grey and brown. That’s it. Snow, clouds and tree trunks. Neutrals combined with color is one thing; a world of monotone shades wears on me. I usually spend the weeks from mid-January to late March twitching, eating too much chocolate, drinking gallons of coffee, and knitting things in impossibly bright shades just to keep the color-desperation at bay.

Since none of those strategies are beneficial in the long run, I decided on a new one. This year I am attempting to use these months of nearly-mandatory indoor time as an opportunity to clean, organize, decorate…to create a warm, colorful den in which to spend my hibernation.

I am a quirky person (I have made my peace with it) and I am delighting in slowly crafting my world to reflect who I am. We moved just a few months ago, and I took advantage of the opportunity to rid myself of a lot of STUFF…much of it perfectly “good” stuff…that I simply didn’t want/like/need. It was liberating; just because things were still “good” didn’t mean I had to keep them. It felt to good to free myself of the baggage, and trust in the future.

My new style is cheerful. Colorful, too, because beige be damned — I’m not beige and my house won’t be either. I’m a jeans-and-sweater girl; my home shouldn’t look like a business suit. I spent some time listing what I like – strong, bright colors; bold patterns; soft and warm fabrics. I love the shine of glass and the warmth of wicker baskets. I like using things for a different purpose than intended – baskets to store DVDs, an old creamer to hold handmade soaps, mandarin orange crates to organize boxes of tea. I don’t like fussy patterns, boxstore art, knick-knacks, or too much symmetry.

Over all — I love crafting a home out of materials that have already had a previous life. I am a regular haunter of the local thrift stores; I don’t always buy. The goal is not to get more STUFF; the goal is to keep an eye open to the possibilities…and the things I buy are often what nobody else likes — the old vintage tablecloth; random cloth napkins in funky colors; old glass jars and baskets. The fascinating thing is this — it all comes together. When I stick with the colors and textures that I love, they always seem to work.

The trick seems to be tossing the rulebook out the window and listening to my hibernating instincts.

Strangling Sweater Recon

When I saw this soft, pretty, comfy-and-a-bit-oversized angora sweater at the thrift store…I had to get it. For $3, that’s a lot of comfy-cozy-softness…and it’s even pink.

Inspiration came from New From Old: How to Transform and Customize Your Clothes and it was incredibly easy to do. Basically, you cut the turtleneck along the seam, add binding (I used some scrap stretchable lace that was in my notions bag) and add beads (again, I had some leftover from a previous project.) And that’s it! Instead of a strangling turtleneck, the sweater now has a graceful shawl collar with some funky beading. Not bad for 30 minutes of effort, eh?